Independent Poland is in our blood” was the slogan of the blood donation initiative organised by the Polish Military Publishing Institute and the Association of Honorary Blood Donation “Legion” on the centenary of Poland regaining independence. The initiative took place in 6 Polish cities. 1700 people participated, donating around 800 litres of blood.
The event was held under the auspices of the Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak and the Minister of Health, Łukasz Szumowski. On the whole, 830 litres of blood were donated.
One of the organizers, Izabela Borańska-Chmielewska from Polska Zbrojna Monthly, stated that 1700 people took part in the event, and what’s most important, many of them donated blood for the first time in their life.
The initiative was not only about donating blood, but also organized to promote Poland’s history. Participants could also admire historical graphic arts entitled “With arms for the Independent”.
Ms. Chmielewska argues that the historial perspective is what made them connect the event to the centenary of Poland regaining independence. People, who donated blood and then signed in on the initiative’s website also took part in a lottery, in which they could have won several prizes, including parachute jumping with a special forces unit.